Related Links

Farnborough - Boeing's highly anticipated - and long delayed - 787 Dreamliner made its international début on Sunday, landing in England as the star attraction at the Farnborough International Air Show.

The airliner, the first passenger jet to be largely built from lightweight and environmentally friendly composite material, is the first of the five test aircraft to leave US airspace.

Its appearance at Farnborough, which alternates years with the Le Bourget airshow outside Paris as the premier aerospace and defence industry gathering, comes as Boeing and arch European rival Airbus seek to rejuvenate plane sales in the aftermath of the global recession - and face new threats to their competitive duopoly.

It is the first time the pair will line up their flagship products, with Airbus' A380 "superjumbo" taking part in flying displays during the show.

Raymond Jaworowski, a senior aerospace analyst with Forecast International, said Boeing hopes to show the programme is on the right track after years of difficulties.

"The fact that they are able to bring it to Farnborough, it just is kind of a signal to the industry that 'We have things worked out.' It will help," he said.

Boeing is showing off the aircraft at Farnborough as analysts note that the US company and its EADS-owned European competitor Airbus are facing growing competition from Canada's Bombardier, China's state-owned Comac, Russia's Irkut and Brazil's Embraer.

863 orders

Boeing has 863 orders from 56 companies worth about $150 billion for the 787, which has been plagued by problems since the programme launched in 2004 and is currently more than two years behind schedule.

Boeing reported another potential setback on the eve of Farnborough, warning that the delivery of the first plane to a customer may slip again - this time into early 2011.

Boeing said that it still hopes to deliver its first 787 to Japan's All Nippon Airways later this year, but warned of a potential delay because of the need for additional testing and changes to inspection equipment.

Faulty parts built by Boeing's suppliers, including problems with the aircraft's tail, have caused many of the previous delays - in a change from normal production, Boeing has relied on suppliers from around the world to build large portions of the plane, before assembling the parts itself.

In a major shift away from traditional aluminium and titanium, nearly all of the aircraft's fuselage and wings are made of composites.

That allows the wide body jet to use 20% less fuel than similar planes and make less noise, while providing passengers with more room, cleaner air and wider windows.

The plane, which has a list price of around $161m for a basic model, is configured in two versions - a 787-8 carrying 210-250 passengers and a 787-9 carrying almost 300 people.

Customers for the jet include Australia's Qantas, which has ordered 50 of the aircraft with hopes of expanding its budget airline, Jetstar, into southern Europe.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Saving your profile

Settings

News24 allows you to edit the display of certain components based on a location.
If you wish to personalise the page based on your preferences, please select a
location for each component and click "Submit" in order for the changes to
take affect.

Your Location*

Weather*

Always remember my setting

Saving your settings

Facebook Sign-In

Hi News addict,

Join the News24 Community to be involved in breaking the news.

Log in with Facebook to comment and personalise news, weather and listings.